Unless otherwise stated, all images, content and recipes are original and are the sole property of Mary Foreman, DeepSouthDish.com. No photographs or other content may be used without prior written consent.

Privacy Disclosure

Any personal information you provide (e.g., name, email address, etc) will never be released to any entities outside Deep South Dish. As with most websites and blogs across the Internet, third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to websites.

Affiliate Disclaimer

Deep South Dish is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products at amazon.com. Your support is greatly appreciated - Thank You!

Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Sunday, April 19, 2009

A yummy breakfast casserole that can be put together at the last minute - hash browns, sausage or ham, onion, bacon, milk, eggs, salt and pepper - what more could you want to start the day?!

Speedy Sausage and Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

I love breakfast casseroles but I hate having to think about building them the night before ... I never think about that the night before!! And besides that, I usually wake up deciding I want a breakfast casserole - I don't usually want it the night before! While occasionally I will construct a night before dish, this breakfast recipe is my go-to for the most part. It's got everything a good breakfast casserole should have - potatoes, cheese, sausage, bacon and eggs. And you can make it right away!

A couple of time-saving tips that I use to make this super-speedy are one, to use pre-cooked sausage. When you get back from the grocery store and have a spare moment, go ahead and cook an entire pound of Jimmy Dean sausage, stick it in a freezer bag and put it in the freezer. That way you can skip the step of having to cook the sausage, and frankly, next time you want some homemade biscuits and sausage gravy {you can also use this gravy recipe for that as well}, you've already saved yourself some time there. Or if you want a homemade pizza, you've got this pre-cooked sausage to sprinkle on top! Or if you want a breakfast quesadilla or breakfast burrito, you'll be able to sprinkle some sausage on top before folding your quesadilla {by the way, I'm not a folder, I like 'em flat and with 2 tortillas, like a sandwich} or rolling up your breakfast tortilla.

Same thing with the bacon. Next time you brown up some bacon for a recipe or a meal, cook a few extra slices and store them in a freezer bag in your freezer. That's perfect for this recipe! Plus you've got pre-cooked bacon at the ready to chop up and sprinkle on top of a salad, a baked potato, or to use as a garnish! Of course this breakfast casserole is an excellent dish to make using up some of that leftover holiday ham that you've got stashed in your freezer too! Just substitute the ham in place of the sausage.

And last, I like to use the pre-formed hash brown patties as the first layer, because I almost always have those in the freezer. You can certainly use any other type of frozen bagged hash browns, or be extra frugal and shred up your own potatoes!

So next time you wake up on a Sunday morning and want a hardy, comforting breakfast casserole for breakfast, brunch or even a leisurely Sunday lunch, I hope that you'll give this one a try ... it really is yummy!

Let's make a breakfast casserole!

For this recipe you'll need some hash browns, sausage or ham, onion, bacon, milk, eggs, salt and pepper. Remove the hash brown patties from the freezer to allow them to begin to thaw, while you prep the remaining ingredients.

First we'll start by spraying a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and layering the bottom with some hash browns - enough to cover the bottom of the dish. Roughly I'd say about 2 cups if you're using the loose kind, or shredding your own. You can also use a 1-1/2 to 2 quart square or, as pictured here, a 10 x 6 inch oblong baking dish, I like to use the hash brown patties because that's the kind I almost always have on hand. You can substitute frozen tater tots also, though I recommend precooking those to crisp them up a bit before building the casserole.

Top that with one cup of shredded cheddar. Or a nice pepper jack cheese would be fantastic here.

Top that with 1 cup of cooked sausage. I used Jimmy Dean regular sausage, but you can certainly use the hot variety if you want to.

And a tablespoon of finely chopped onion.

Sprinkle some cooked and crumbled bacon on top of that. I used 2 slices here. Use more if you like.

Mix up 1-1/2 cups of milk with 4 large eggs, the Cajun seasoning and some salt and pepper. Pour that over the entire dish.

Until it is well covered.

Carefully transfer that to a preheated 350 degree F oven and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let set for about 5 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

For more of my favorite breakfast and brunch recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!

If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the hash brown patties from the freezer to allow them to begin to thaw, while you prep the remaining ingredients.

Spray a 9 x 9 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside. If using raw sausage and bacon, cook both until browned. Chop up the bacon and set aside. Layer the baking dish starting with the hash brown patties. On top of that, add the shredded cheese, then the sausage, onion, and bacon. Beat together the milk, eggs, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper and slowly pour over the entire dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes to one hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to set about 5 minutes before slicing. Double for a 9 x 13 inch casserole.

Cook's Notes: You may substitute frozen tater tots, though I recommend precooking those to crisp them up a bit before building the casserole. You may also substitute about 2-1/2 cups of loose, frozen shredded hash browns (enough to cover the bottom of the dish), thawed and squeezed of any excess water, in this recipe. I prefer to use the hash brown patties for this casserole because they perform much better than the loose ones in a casserole and they are usually preseasoned.

Anytime you substitute frozen hash browns in any casserole form, it is best to thaw them so that they will release any excess water. Then wrap them in paper towels and squeeze the water out so it doesn't release in your casserole. You will also need to season the loose hash browns.

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

Hi Kylee, I've not done this casserole with anything but the patties. That said, when you make a breakfast casserole with the shredded hash browns you can brown them if you prefer, but I don't see that it would be necessary to. I honestly don't know if it would make that much of a difference!

I made a variation of this last night. I am a single mom whose daughter went to college this fall. Trying to figure out this cooking for just me thing. I used tater tots and made them in a muffin tin. They turned out very nicely. It would make a full muffin tin - 12 muffins - if you use 3 tater tots per tin. They turned out like individual quiche type muffins. Other than that, I followed the recipe pretty close. Thanks for giving us these recipes, they look so good.Ps.......I scaled down the New Orleans style barbecue shrimp recipe too. My proportions were a little off, but still a very tasty dish.

I make something very similar, I call it breakfast pizza. The only difference between mine and this one is my bottom layer is biscuit dough, par baked -just long enough for the top to NOT be sticky-, then goes the taters, meat, cheese, onions/bell peppers and egg mixture. So good, we have it for dinner frequently.

This is a quick and easy winner with my family (and wallet)! I found this recipe over winter break and have made it three times now. My next one is planned to be Mexican style, as us here in the southwest always seem to cook... with green chiles, chorizo, and corn or hominy. And lots of red chile, cilantro, and cumin...I've also made three casseroles from a frozen $1 bag of cheap ol shoestring fries. *pats self on back*

Hey I like that shoestring idea - you do deserve a pat on the back for that bargain!! It really is quick and easy isn't it, but boy do I like the sounds of that Mexican style one too! I do hope that you'll come back to share with me exactly what you did. I'll be anxiously waiting!

Hey Melissa! I'm sure it would work out but honestly I haven't done it before. This was intended as one of those last minute breakfast casseroles since I have a hard time remembering to put them together the night before! Let us know if you try it & what the texture was like!

I tried this last evening, to be cooked in the AM for a Birthday gal @ work....It can be prepared the night before and cooked off in the morning. I prepared it exactly as the site advised....It was a huge hit! I could even see this being served at night with a nice green salad. I am certainly planning on making this again...may add more onions and possibly sauteed mushrooms....I added x-tra bacon....excellent dish! Enjoy and thx for sharing!

I can't say enough good things about this recipe! I used to shy away from breakfast casseroles because they came out too greasy & the eggs were rubbery. I made this recipe this morning for my family, topping it with extra shredded cheddar & it came out beautifully! I've shared this recipe, and your fantastic site, with all of my friends on Facebook singing it's praises. Thank you again for enabling me to put forth a perfect stick-to-your-ribs breakfast casserole for my family!

Mary,This looks wonderful. But I have to ask… doesn’t the potatoes get soggy? Are they at all crisp? Do they have any body to them?I’m asking because I want to serve this, this weekend; it looks that good. The kids are coming from Atlanta with the baby and they’re just eating machines. I want to serve them something different for Saturday’s breakfast: And this looks great!Shouldn’t the patties be toasted first? I know that you said the hash browns came out soggy. I just can’t help but think that a couple of minutes in the fry pan might cure that. I don’t know. But this just looks too good to pass up.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to give them a toast or a pan sear I suppose but the patties do well, though they aren't real crisp like a panfried hashbrown, except on the bottom a bit with a glass pan. You're just using them for a layer of potatoes here, not necessarily as a "hash brown" like you would have with a side of eggs. The patties are preformed and compact and parcooked already so they hold up nicely in the casserole. With frozen loose hashbrowns you'd want to thaw and squeeze out as much as the water as you can because they are loose and get ice crystals on each shred so they can get watery in a casserole. Those would definitely benefit from cooking them in a skillet as well as fresh potatoes because they will indeed release water in the casserole. I've had many compliments on this one so I'm guessing the eating machines would probably dig on this one too!

This was wonderful, so much so, my wife said that I’m going to have to make it for the church brunch.I had to up the quantities because of the ravenous hoards that it was supposed to feed; 2 kids, not counting the 1 yr. old granddaughter, and they’re not young and they’re not at all overweight. If I consumed that much at my folks house, like the kids did here this weekend, my dad would have sent me a bill.I more than doubled your recipe, then used a commercial 9’x 18” roasting pan to cook it all in. The one thing I did different was to flash fry the hash brown patties first; just to put a nice crisp on them. It was outstanding. No ‘soggy bottoms.’ Believe it or not, there was nothing left. My wife had 1 patties worth and I had 1-1/2. The kids ate the rest.Thank you. God bless.

PS: For stupid-simple hash browns, I use cheap shoestring fries from Walmart; $1.00 for 32. oz. I get a small handful, nuke them for 15 sec. dice them up, then toss with garlic and onion powder, Slap Ya’ Mama and seasoned salt; toss them in a med. high skillet for about 5 min. or so, and you’ve got hash browns.

Mary, I’ve done a lot of experimenting on this, and have also had to up the quantities in Biblical proportions; both for the kids and for the church. I’m up to 1 if not 2 of my 14” x 22” x 4” commercial roasting pans. I found that by baking the hash brown patties, almost to completion, on one of those silicone pyramid mat thingies, they’re virtually greaseless and will not absorb grease and liquids as rapidly. The egg and milk will soften any crustiness. I’ve been making mine with more eggs then milk, which makes them eggy rather then custardy.BTW, I gather that you like and use those silicone pyramid cooking mats; that’s basically why I bought them. I tried them and loved them. The only drawback I found was in cleaning them. Silicone is not immune to absorption. No mater how much I scrubbed them, even with Dawn, there was still a slightly greasy residue; even after a couple of turns in the dishwasher. I use Zep Heavy-Duty Citrus Degreaser for all of my kitchen grease problems. It’s biodegradable and will not effect most finishes. I’ve been using Zep cleaning products since the 60’s. It’s great, and can usually be found at Home Depot.God bless.

Unless I specify another milk - such as canned evaporated - in one of my recipes, it's just simply regular jug milk, whatever I have in my fridge, usually whole or 1% to 2%. I don't typically buy or use skim milk.

This was wonderful on Christmas morning. The only change I made was to break apart the hash browns some before adding them to dish. Even the 19 month old grand daughter ate it. Everything I've tried from this site is good.

Thanks for the recipe! I plan to bake this for Easter brunch with ham as the main meat (and maybe some mushrooms and bell pepper). I think the bacon will add some great flavor too!BTW - For those who care or are interested, Jimmy Dean sausage has MSG in it - that stuff is like poison to me and many others. Make sure you tell people if you use it! I know that most grocery store meat departments carry freshly ground sausage which is a healthier alternative.

Hi Leslie & thanks for commenting. I don't attempt to educate anybody who has a food sensitivity about every single food out there. I'm pretty sure that those who have issues with ingredients are responsible enough to education themselves, and I feel confident that those who are sensitive to certain ingredients are well aware of how to make those appropriate substitutions.

BTW, while I understand you expressing your concerns, I would hope that anybody who has dietary restrictions of any kind, would avoid altogether certain foods when at a potluck or dining at someone else's house, or at least discreetly ask the host or even better, discuss with them ahead of time their sensitivities, but using the word "poison" is inappropriate when commenting on somebody else's recipe site. :)

Hi. This recipe sounds really good and from the comments, it is! I am looking for a breakfast casserole recipe that uses sausage gravy. I have leftover sausage gravy used for biscuits and gravy. Do you think that would work instead of the milk and could I still add the eggs?

Hi Coby - that's a great idea for the tots! I like to use the hash brown patties because they are preformed and have been slightly precooked so the browning step isn't really necessary, although you could certainly brown them as well.

I googled the ingredients and had on hand and the magical internet brought me to this recipe. Made it for supper just now and everyone (husband, 6 year old, 9 year old) gobbled it up! Can't wait to check out the rest of your website! Many thanks from Pennsylvania <3

This is our favorite household breakfast casserole now. My husband requests it any morning he is home. Breakfast casseroles are normally too eggy or lack flavor but this one is absolutely delicious. Thanks for ANOTHER household staple recipe. We seem to be building our own DSD cookbook over here with all the recipes we love. :)

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I love hearing from readers and I read every single comment and try to respond to them right here on the site, so stop back by!

From time to time, anonymous restrictions and/or comment moderation may be activated due to comment spam. I also reserve the right to edit, delete or otherwise exercise total editorial discretion over any comments left on this blog. If your comment serves only to be snarky, mean-spirited or argumentative, it will be deleted. Please mind your manners.

Hey Y’all! Welcome to some good ole, down home southern cooking. Pull up a chair, grab some iced tea, and 'sit a bit' as we say down south. If this is your first time visiting Deep South Dish, you can sign up for FREE updates via EMAIL or RSS feed, or you can catch up with us on Facebook and Twitter too!

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. ~Julia Child

The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.

Oftentimes what makes a recipe southern, is as much a state of mind as it is a matter of geography - Southerners simply decide a particular food is southern, and that's that." ~Rick McDaniel, Food Historian

Material Disclosure: This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from the provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

DISCLAIMER: This is a recipe site intended for entertainment. By using this site and these recipes you agree that you do so at your own risk, that you are completely responsible for any liability associated with the use of any recipes obtained from this site, and that you fully and completely release Mary Foreman and Deep South Dish LLC and all parties associated with either entity, from any liability whatsoever from your use of this site and these recipes.

ALL CONTENT PROTECTED UNDER THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT. CONTENT THEFT, EITHER PRINT OR ELECTRONIC, IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. Recipes may be printed ONLY for personal use and may not be transmitted, distributed, reposted, or published elsewhere, in print or by any electronic means. Seek explicit permission before using any content on this site, including partial excerpts, all of which require attribution linking back to specific posts on this site. I have, and will continue to act, on all violations.